Cree Repeats asLighting for Tomorrow Grand Prize Winner

DURHAM, N.C. - Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market
leader in LED lighting, announces that it won the top prize in the 2009
Lighting for Tomorrow - Solid State Lighting Competition. The Cree
LR6-DR1000 recessed downlight was awarded the coveted Grand Prize at an
award ceremony at the American Lighting Association (ALA) Conference this
week. The Cree LRP-38, a PAR38 bulb, and the LR6-HE (high-efficiency) were
also recognized with Special Focus Awards for technical innovation and high
efficiency, respectively.

The Grand Prize-winning Cree LR6-DR1000 is a high-output six-inch downlight
that produces more than 1000 lumens of light output. Targeted for commercial
release early next year, the LR6-DR1000 is designed to operate off an input
power of less than 13 Watts, delivering an efficacy in excess of 77 lumens
per Watt which makes it the most efficient, specification-grade LED
downlight.

The winner of the technical innovation award, the LRP-38 bulb features Cree
TrueWhite™ technology to deliver the vibrant color of halogen with high
efficacy. Released in May 2009, the LRP-38 is replacing halogen and ceramic
metal halide (CMH) lamps in numerous applications including fresh food
displays, furniture stores, retail environments and museums.

This international design competition is organized by the ALA, the U.S.
Department of Energy (represented by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
and the Consortium of Energy Efficiency. A panel of 11 judges from various
areas of the lighting industry evaluated the entries based on color
appearance, color rendering, efficiency, innovation and other criteria.

"Cree is lighting the LED revolution with breakthrough products that
redefine energy-efficient illumination," said Gary Trott, vice president of
market development, Cree LED Lighting. "Over the past three years, every
Cree LED Lighting product has won a Lighting for Tomorrow award."

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to
obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient,
environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of
lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor solutions for
backlighting, wireless and power applications.

Cree's product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED
chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching
devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving
improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs
and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.